Videos games are a popular form of entertainment and players of all ages are intrigued and entertained by the challenges they present. There are various kinds of video game systems, often referred to as “platforms.” Videos games may be played upon a specific video game device, referred to as a “game console,” that is connected to a television or other monitor to enable game play. The Microsoft Xbox 360, the Sony PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii are popular game consoles. Additionally, portable video game systems, such as the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, enable mobile play. These small, all-in-one devices allow an individuals to play wherever they choose. Video games may also be played on more general purpose devices, such as personal computers, including desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, etc. A video game may be software installed onto the personal computer (i.e., either from a disk or from a downloaded file) or may be played via a web browser accessing the Internet. For example, a user may play a game installed on his computer, play one on a game Web site, such as PopCap.com, or play a game offered through a social networking site, such as Farmville on Facebook. Additionally, videos games may be played on mobile devices, such as cell phones and smartphones. Such games may be played via a the mobile device's web browser or, more typically, via a mobile software application (i.e., an “app”). As a mobile devices have become ubiquitous, mobile app games reach a broad audience of players and are some of the most popular video games (e.g., Angry Birds by Rovio Entertainment).
All of the aforementioned video game systems involve the user setting aside time to play. An individual must either activate the game on his game console or other device or must access a particular Web site (perhaps needing to login as well). None of these systems allow a user to play an electronic game as a quick interruption to another task. For example, although a person may view an electronic ad for a video game as he browses the Internet, he must stop his current browsing to play the video game if he so desires. Although this may be tempting, the user may not wish to be overly diverted from the task at hand.
Advertising on the Internet involves placing an electronic advertisement, herein referred to as an “electronic ad,” on a Web page or along with other digital content in the hope that a consumer will see it. Advertising on the Internet involves an enormous market that has been growing steadily since 1995. Massive sums of money have been spent on advertising on the Internet, including tracking the performance of electronic ads and targeting advertisements to particular audiences using technologies referred to as “targeting technologies.” Yet of all electronic ads distributed on Web sites, only a very small fraction is clicked. Ad space providers and advertisers have perpetually grappled with the problem of low response rates.
An electronic ad includes electronic advertising content and this content is distinct from other forms of electronic content distributed via the Internet. Electronic advertising content is created by a commercial entity in order to drive usage and/or sales of a good or service, herein collectively referred to as “product.” It is not merely content associated with a product, but rather is distributed specifically to generate a benefit (typically a monetary one) for the producer or supplier of the product. For example, an independent review of a product is not electronic advertising content, whereas advertising text distributed by the product manufacturer is electronic advertising content. Additionally, electronic advertising content is subject to advertising laws and regulations, such as truth-in-advertising laws.
An electronic ad may be created so that its distribution may be tracked and evaluated. For example, an electronic ad may include computer code that enables an advertiser to ascertain how many times it has been viewed (e.g., how many “impressions” or “clicks”). Electronic ad tracking may be conducted for financial purposes. For example, an ad provider may charge for ad distribution on a per viewing basis. An advertiser may be responsible for paying the ad provider each time the ad is viewed or fee for a particular amount of viewings.
Generally, electronic advertising works in the following way: a Web site publisher designates space on its Web site as available for advertising. An ad provider provides the publisher with a computer code to be implanted in this ad space. An ad provider is an entity that distributes electronic ads via a network (e.g., the Internet) on behalf of an advertiser, usually for a fee, such as Google AdSense, Yahoo, etc. An advertiser is an entity wishing to promote a good, service, etc. When an individual visits a particular page of that publisher's Web site via his web browser, the page is generated per the publisher's source code, while the electronic ad is generated in the ad space per the ad provider's code. The electronic advertising content is retrieved from the ad provider's ad server system and fills the ad space on the Web page. The ad server system maintains electronic advertising content, typically configured by the ad provider on behalf of an advertiser. Each time a visitor visits a Web page, a new set of electronic ads may be displayed because the site publisher may have business relationships with more than one ad provider or because the same ad provider may choose a different set of electronic ads to show on the Web page. Furthermore, the electronic ad code itself may specify various ads to be shown in the ad space and the ad displayed may vary per the user's particular visit to the Web page. A user may select an electronic ad, such as by clicking it, and his web browser typically is directed to present a landing page associated with the advertiser. The landing page is typically the advertiser's main Web page. For example, a user selecting an electronic ad for a dating service will be presented with the dating service's home page. When a user clicks on an electronic ad, his attention to his previous task is interrupted. With the browser navigating to the ad's landing page, the user's attention is diverted.
Because selecting electronic ads interrupts the user's current activity, users tend to ignore them. Advertisers try to counteract this tendency by employing various targeting methods. An advertiser may place electronic ads on Web pages that are related to the product advertised. More sophisticated electronic advertising methods, such as Google AdSense, involve embedding a code that may interpret the content of the Web page and retrieve associated electronic advertising content from the ad server system. For example, if the Web page content includes gaming-related terms (e.g., “game,” “player,” etc.), the code may cause the presentation of an electronic ad for a video game system. Even though the electronic ad displayed may be relevant to a user's interests, the user is still required to stop what he is currently doing to interact with it. The fact that the electronic ad is related to his interests may not be sufficient enticement for him to do so.
Because most users ignore electronic ads, a tremendous amount of assets, such as bandwidth, screen space (e.g., Web page “real estate”), are, in effect, wasted. Significant electronic and human resources are involved in the distribution and tracking of electronic ads, but for marginal gain.
What is needed is a mechanism to employ the resources of an electronic network, such as the Internet, in a more effective manner. In particular, what is needed is system and method for using resources generally employed for electronic advertising as a convenient and effective medium by which to enable electronic game play. Furthermore, such a medium may improve advertising response rates by providing a user with motivation to interact with an electronic ad.